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Penn State Wrestling: Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks Among 10 Hodge Trophy Finalists

Carter Starocci, Penn State Wrestling
Photo by NCAA: Carter Starocci

Penn State wrestling starts Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooksย are among the 10 nominees for this yearโ€™s Hodge Trophy, which is college wrestlings version of the Heisman.

This news comes days after Starocci (174 pounds) ย and Brooks (184) won their third national championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this past weekend.

Starocci got his title by pinning Nebraskaโ€™s Mikey Labriola, and Brooks earned his with a 7-2 decision over Northern Iowaโ€™s Parker Keckesisen.

Per wrestling podcaster Justin Basch, this is the first time that all 10 national champions make up the finalists. Three of Penn Stateโ€™s wrestlers lost in championship matches. At 133 pounds, No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young couldnโ€™t join Starocci and Brooks in winning a third straight title. RBY fell to Cornellโ€™s Vito Arujau in a 10-4 decision. As a result, Arujau, not RBY, is up for the Hodge.

At 149, true freshman sensation Levi Hainesย fell short of what would have been a remarkable national title win against North Carolinaโ€™s Austin Oโ€™Connor, losing a 6-2 decision to the sixth-year senior. Oโ€™Connor is up for the Hodge.

In the heavyweight class, Michiganโ€™s Mason Parris capped off a 33-0 season at the expense of Penn Stateโ€™s Greg Kerkvliet. Parris beat Kerkvliet for the third time, winning a 5-1 decision. Parris certainly earned his Hodge nomination.

One name who is notably missingโ€” much to the delight of some Penn State fansโ€” is Iowaโ€™s Spencer Lee.

Lee was expected to become a four-time national champion but that dream died when Purdueโ€™s Matt Ramos pinned him in the semifinals. Ramos ended up losing to Princetonโ€™s Pat Glory in the championship match, and Glory is up for the Hodge.

Unlike Lee, Cornellโ€™s Yianni Diakomihalis completed the dream of winning four national titles. Diakomihalis beat Ohio Stateโ€™s Sammy Sasso to complete a goal only previously accomplished by four other wrestlers, one of them being Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, who won three Hodge trophies.

Sanderson is now the No. 1 coach in college wrestling, running the No. 1 program. Penn State won its 10th team title in 12 seasonsย under Sanderson, and its two Hodge finalists played big parts. Starocci finished the season 24-0 and is 61-2 overall. Brooks ended the season 17-1 and has a 67-3 overall record.

Both have eligibility remaining, but Starocci hinted after his national title win that he wonโ€™t be back at Penn State, saying his next goal was to win an Olympic gold medal in 2024.

Fans can vote for the Hodge winner here.

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